Leeds United could look to include Barcelona’s Francisco Trincao as part of a potential deal that would see Raphinha join the Spanish giants. The 22-year-old is currently on loan with Wolves who will have first refusal if they want to make that move permanent in the summer.
Although, reports have suggested that they are unlikely make that decision which also throws Adama Traore’s future into major doubt as he is on loan at the Nou Camp. It would mean Trincao returns to Barcelona in the summer where they will be looking to offload him, as they did last summer.
Today’s edition of Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, as per Sport Witness, has stated that Leeds would ‘of course, be open’ to including a young player like Trincao in any deal for Raphinha. It would mean that they would not have to source a replacement for the winger from elsewhere in the knowledge that other teams would charge a premium for players with a similar profile.
Read more: Barcelona president names Leeds United's Raphinha as contact confirmed with player's agent
Leeds fans will be familiar with the Portuguese wideman as he opened his Premier League account in the Whites’ thrilling 3-2 comeback win at Molineux earlier this month. He drilled a low effort beyond Illan Meslier and into the bottom corner to double his side’s lead, although it was all in vain as Wolves were eventually beaten.
We have taken a look at Trincao and what he would be able to bring to Elland Road if he was to be included in a deal for Raphinha.
What has Trincao done so far?
The young winger started his career in his native Portugal where he represented a number of teams throughout his youth career. He eventually settled at Braga where, after spending a couple of years with the club’s B team, he was promoted to the first team.
His first senior season included a handful of performances from the bench before he was properly trusted with a starting position during the 2019/20 campaign. During that year, he scored eight goals and added eight assists in 27 league games which led to a number of Europe’s elite sides sitting up and taking notice.
Barcelona were the team to make a move in January 2020 and he moved to Catalonia for just under £30m in the July of the same year. However, the financial issues that faced Barca meant they were immediately looking to sell him to help balance the books at the Nou Camp.
Interest from a few teams, including Leeds’ Premier League rivals Leicester, came and went and he spent the season contributing, rather sparsely, for Barcelona. Last summer, he then agreed a season-long loan with Wolves who had the option to make the move permanent, which still could be activated in June.
Although, with just one goal and one assist in over 1,100 minutes of Premier League action, it looks increasingly unlikely that he will become a permanent Wolves player.
Why would Leeds want Trincao?
As mentioned previously, it would make life easy for Leeds who would not have to worry about potentially missing out on signing a Raphinha replacement, depending how long the potential saga would grumble on for. While he may not possess the effectiveness of the Brazilian, he is a very similar player.
He operates largely on the right wing and, like Raphinha, is a tricky left-footed player. His lack of influence for Wolves might worry Leeds supporters reading the rumours but it is extremely common for European players, especially those who are heavily reliant on their technical ability, to initially struggle in the Premier League.
The advantage of signing Trincao is that he is already used to playing in England at the top level and, like many before him, he could really kick on if given another chance next season. His international experience will also have interested those in charge at Leeds as he has already earned seven caps for Portugal after impressing in the youth squads from the U17s all the way up to the U21 squad.
What has been said about Trincao?
Despite largely struggling with Wolves, Trincao is a player highly rated by plenty of those in Portugal and at Barcelona, so much so that Xavi considered recalling him from the West Midlands in January. The decision to keep him at Wolves is paying dividends for Bruno Lage who, at the beginning of the year, kept his faith in the youngster.
He told our sister site, BirminghamLive : “I’m very happy with him. I really don’t care about that [goals and assists stats]. What I care about is what they give to the club.
“To be honest, Trincao is the winger who can do best as the third midfielder when I need that. They can give me a lot of things and I’ve already said that. They have different profiles, but Trincao is the best guy if I need a mix between a winger and a third midfielder.”
Deco, who might not be the most popular man in Leeds at the moment considering his position as Raphinha’s agent, also sung the praises of Trincao. “He is a quality player with a great future ahead” he said in an interview with the official Barcelona website.
“He’s a classic left-footed player that makes runs from the wings into the area. When he gets into the middle, he makes shooting look easy. He’s good in the one-on-one and has a fine shot. He’s a footballer who I personally like a lot.”
